ILO Offers Training to Teachers on Combating Child Labour
The goal is to enhance the understanding and awareness of teachers in the efforts to combat child labour among the seasonal agricultural workforce, thereby contributing to the reduction of child labour.
5 January 2024
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ŞANLIURFA (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) hosted an “Information and Training Seminar for Teachers” event within the scope of the An Integrated Model for the Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture in Hazelnut Agriculture in Türkiye and the project Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture in Hazelnut Harvesting in Türkiye.
As part of its activities in the two projects addressing the issue of the worst forms of child labour in seasonal hazelnut harvesting, the ILO Office in Türkiye and its implementation partner Pikolo Association maintain contact with seasonal agricultural worker families and their children outside the harvest period, and closely monitor the school attendance of the children through a systematic monitoring mechanism. To contribute to the effectiveness of the monitoring mechanism, the ILO Office in Türkiye is raising awareness of the issue among teachers who are in direct contact with the children of seasonal agricultural worker families through “Teacher Information Sessions” which are hosted for all teachers working in two schools in Şanlıurfa in which the children of seasonal migrant agricultural worker families are mostly enrolled. By increasing the knowledge and awareness of the issue among teachers, it is hoped that they will take a more active role in combating child labour in seasonal agricultural work, and thus contribute to the reduction of child labour.
The training programme included a seminar headed by ILO Advisor Prof. Dr. Murat Gürkan Gülcan on the subject of “Child Labour and Education”, which was followed by a briefing on “Good Practice Examples of Monitoring Methods in the Prevention of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture” given by Pikolo Association monitoring teams. 154 teachers attended the seminar.
The training was held on 13 December, 2023 in the Conference Hall of Şanlıurfa Ertuğrulgazi Primary and Secondary School, and opened with speeches given by Koray Abacı, ILO Türkiye Office Senior Project Coordinator; Turan Türk, Labour Expert in the General Directorate of Labour under the Ministry of Labour and Social Security; and Onur Torun, Pikolo Association Chairman.
In his review of the trainings, ILO Senior Project Coordinator Koray Abacı said that the children of families engaged in seasonal agriculture often have to join their families in agricultural work from March until the end of November, adding “During these months, the educational journey of these children faces can be disrupted due to various unforeseen circumstances." The teachers, who are committed to the reintegration of the children of these families into their academic lives, were briefed on the living and working conditions of families engaged in seasonal agriculture and their children. "These training sessions have raised the awareness of teachers of the fight against child labour,” he noted.
As part of its activities in the two projects addressing the issue of the worst forms of child labour in seasonal hazelnut harvesting, the ILO Office in Türkiye and its implementation partner Pikolo Association maintain contact with seasonal agricultural worker families and their children outside the harvest period, and closely monitor the school attendance of the children through a systematic monitoring mechanism. To contribute to the effectiveness of the monitoring mechanism, the ILO Office in Türkiye is raising awareness of the issue among teachers who are in direct contact with the children of seasonal agricultural worker families through “Teacher Information Sessions” which are hosted for all teachers working in two schools in Şanlıurfa in which the children of seasonal migrant agricultural worker families are mostly enrolled. By increasing the knowledge and awareness of the issue among teachers, it is hoped that they will take a more active role in combating child labour in seasonal agricultural work, and thus contribute to the reduction of child labour.
The training programme included a seminar headed by ILO Advisor Prof. Dr. Murat Gürkan Gülcan on the subject of “Child Labour and Education”, which was followed by a briefing on “Good Practice Examples of Monitoring Methods in the Prevention of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture” given by Pikolo Association monitoring teams. 154 teachers attended the seminar.
The training was held on 13 December, 2023 in the Conference Hall of Şanlıurfa Ertuğrulgazi Primary and Secondary School, and opened with speeches given by Koray Abacı, ILO Türkiye Office Senior Project Coordinator; Turan Türk, Labour Expert in the General Directorate of Labour under the Ministry of Labour and Social Security; and Onur Torun, Pikolo Association Chairman.
In his review of the trainings, ILO Senior Project Coordinator Koray Abacı said that the children of families engaged in seasonal agriculture often have to join their families in agricultural work from March until the end of November, adding “During these months, the educational journey of these children faces can be disrupted due to various unforeseen circumstances." The teachers, who are committed to the reintegration of the children of these families into their academic lives, were briefed on the living and working conditions of families engaged in seasonal agriculture and their children. "These training sessions have raised the awareness of teachers of the fight against child labour,” he noted.